Review Summary: Arachnophobia never seemed so sweet.
King Diamond –
The Spider’s Lullabye
At the time of recording,
King Diamond were:
King Diamond (Kim Bendix Petersen) – Vocals, Harpsichord, Keyboards
Andy La Rocque – Guitar
Herb Simonsen – Guitar
Chris Estes – Bass, Keyboards
Darrin Anthony – Drums
The voice of Kim Bendix Petersen is possibly the most infamous in heavy metal history. As dreadful as it can be, it’s hard not to have fun listening to almost any of
King Diamond’s dark and melodramatic concept albums. After the breakup of his former band,
Mercyful Fate, the King took the metal world by storm in releasing
Fatal Portrait, and then
Abigail, the latter of which is widely considered the greatest metal concept album of all-time. That album wowed audiences with theatrical pizzazz and dazzling instrumental work that was almost shocking when put alongside the eccentric vocals of the King.
The Spider’s Lullabye,
King Diamond’s first release on Metal Blade Records (he was previously on Roadrunner), is a far cry from
Abigail, but it more than makes up for some disappointing releases in between.
The first half of
The Spider’s Lullabye is surprisingly not an entire concept, but instead a collection of short stories. The first thing to note about them is that they aren’t as well-written as we are accustomed to, but are entertaining nonetheless.
From the Other Side, one of the album’s better songs, contains the following verse:
I see the strangest faces
Faces that I’ve never seen before
They see through empty spaces
Spaces that do not exist no more
Sure, they are out of context, but pretty much all of the writing on the album is mediocre. The stories are fascinating though, with topics ranging from serial killers, to ghost hunting, to violent and frightening nightmares. Due to frequent low-pitched vocals applied here, essentially the entire album is comprehensible. The second half of the album deals with a man named Harry who has the misfortune of having a terrible case of arachnophobia. Harry finds a doctor to help rid him of his phobia, but the treatment sessions quickly turn for the worse when Harry is tortured with spiders. Again, these stories aren’t supposed to be deep and life changing, and they aren’t. Instead, Diamond and company take listeners on a roller coaster ride through one of the only enjoyable haunted houses listeners will ever experience.
I’ve ripped on King Diamond’s vocals in this review, but they are in fact much improved. There is less high pitched whining with more low, menacing vocals. They are so well done that one can really visualize them coming from the grinning, painted face of the King. If you are unfamiliar with his higher vocal style, imagine someone trying to imitate Craig of
Chiodos, but being completely serious about it. That pretty much sums them up, keeping in mind that King Diamond was composing and wailing away long before Craig was even born.
The instrumental work here is definitely strong, particularly from the highly underrated Andy La Rocque, but it is a step down from the band’s greater works. The riffs remain catchy, but the guitar solos are fewer, shorter, and not nearly as epic. This is a shame because guitar solos have saved King Diamond from completely annoying the **** out of non-fanboy listeners in the past, and even those who can stand his vocals need a bit of a break here and there. Although it is used infrequently, the harpsichord is a wonderful addition to any metal album, considering its constant use during the Baroque period of music. If any period of so called classical music has had any influence over the heavy metal scene of the past 40 years, it is the Baroque period. J.S. Bach and Johann Pachelbel are constantly mimicked and covered using heavier instrumentals, from
Children of Bodom to
Between the Buried and Me on the complete other side of the metal spectrum.
King Diamond’s use of the instrument is as sinister and ghastly as you will hear, yet some may find it a bit cheesy. The intros to
The Spider’s Lullabye and
Room 17 can be taken as downright creepy, or they may remind listeners of those old school tunes blasting out of a Gameboy, while one is arduously working their way through a Pokemon dungeon. The drumming and bass work here is decent, but they are never really a focal point in these songs.
Welcome Home, a
King Diamond classic, seemed to brilliantly feed off the energy created by the drums, and it’d be nice to see them put to use more often on this album.
The Spider’s Lullabye finishes as one of the more entertaining album’s around, but is far from being the most serious. The musicianship and songwriting are excellent, but the riff work is too happy and almost pop-influenced, and the only other thing to really stand out is the vocals. While
Abigail and
Them can be listened to for being utterly brilliant compositions,
The Spider’s Lullabye is only for die hard
King Diamond fans, as well as anyone looking to add some color to their generic or tiring musical tastes.
Pros:
Catchy riffs
Songwriting and storytelling
Improved vocals
The perfect length
Cons:
Weaker solos and instrumentals all around
King Diamond’s voice (is still despised by many)
No lyrical complexity, although his lyrics have never really been complex
Some Recommended Tracks:
From the Other Side
The Spider’s Lullabye
Eastmann’s Cure
Room 17
Score: 3.5/5
